New leadership appointed to drive better care in central hospitals

Seven highly qualified individuals will form the new board for the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) to lead the recovery of the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth hospitals.

Officially appointed today, Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said the team, including clinicians and people with significant health management experience, will act in an advisory capacity until the LHN Governing Boards become fully operational on 1 July 2019.

“The Royal Adelaide Hospital is on the cusp of operational, organisational and financial recovery - this is an urgent project of State significance,” Minister Wade said.

“The board members will use their experience to drive better planning, better outcomes and better healthcare for our patients.”

Under the Chair Raymond Spencer and Deputy Chair Mick Reid, the CALHN Transition Board will play a pivotal role in a smooth transition to the new governance model, which will be fully operational from 1 July 2019.

Minister Wade said the Board transition members bring a wealth of knowledge and experience across different areas, including clinical expertise.

“A health network with an annual budget of more than $2 billion must be rigorously responsible in its financial management but CALHN has been consistently underperforming when compared to its interstate peers,” Minister Wade said.

“CALHN’s cost overrun of more than $300 million is both wasteful and unsustainable.

“These cost overruns do not benefit patients, they do not change clinical outcomes, they are taxpayer dollars that are being wasted on an inefficient hospital.

“KordaMentha has found that the former Labor Government knew in 2012 the appalling state of CALHN’s budget yet did nothing.

“While it will take years of sustained effort to turn around the culture and practices that developed at the hospital for 16 years under Labor, today’s announcement is an important step in driving organisational change.

Minister Wade said the accelerated appointment of the transition team means they can get to work straight away to oversee the financial and organisational recovery of CALHN.

“With the imminent release of KordaMentha’s work, it is critically important to accelerate this appointment of the CALHN Transition Board,” he said.